


a crush is a self-fulfilling prophecy

by Xephonia



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2017-11-17
Packaged: 2019-02-03 16:10:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12751698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xephonia/pseuds/Xephonia
Summary: Nasch and Vector invade a foreign kingdom to free a prisoner. Their method? Getting really close to the crown prince Yuuma. Maybe too close.





	a crush is a self-fulfilling prophecy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mouthfulofbees (dog_fish)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dog_fish/gifts).



> hello hello dogfish! i hope you enjoy it, i went with the ot3 prompt and since you said yuuma + the barians, this is it o/

Yuuma is an elusive target.

About as elusive as you'd expect the crown prince of Astral kingdom to be, really.

Not for his wits, or anything. Vector laughs at the thought. Because Yuuma is dense as hell and just straight up not picking up on the seduction attempts.

"Oi, Nasch." Vector yawns and throws an apple at his not-partner in crime. "Are you even trying?"

Technically, Vector is here as Nasch's bodyguard, but no one actually expects Vector to do his job. They're both equally competent.

"He literally gave me a cutesy nickname," says Nasch, barely dodging. "Not that he'd ever talk about the location of the keys to the basement, though."

 _Annoying as usual_ , Vector decides. Nasch is the worst company.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't know about Don Thousand being prisoner here, you know." Vector stretches. "Anyway. We'll report failure if we don't succeed in a week."

And Nasch, like the competitive piece of shit he is, "Whoever finds the location first then."

"Deal," says Vector, and he wonders if he can find a way to accidentally leave Nasch behind.

~*~

Vector's carefully crafted identity of Shingetsu Rei, a pickpocket turned royal servant, is entirely wasted on Yuuma.

Yuuma enjoys the cute smiles, but whenever Vector tries to gossip about the palace's secrets—

"Did you hear? People say there's a prisoner down there." 

Yuuma smiles, slight sadness in his eyes. "Really? I heard we didn't have prisoners since the first war with the Barians."

Which is bullshit, since Don Thousand got taken during the second war. 

"Really?" Vector leans in closer. "I heard screams from there, though."

"Don't try to scare me, Shingetsu." Yuuma laughs it off. "I think I even forgot where the cellars were in the first place."

A beat.

Then.

"—Wanna tell me the way, Shingetsu?"

And Vector does, because this is information that Yuuma likely has already anyway.

(The lingering feeling that Yuuma is having the upper hand here doesn't leave.)

Vector sketches out the map, making sure to lean way too close to Yuuma. Yuuma blushes a little, and Vector wonders if that's a success.

(Yuuma isn't bad company, either.)

~*~

"Shark!" Yuuma smiles, catching up to Nasch swiftly. "Where are you going?"

If you're the crown prince of your country and attempting to free the king by spying on the prince of another country, cutesy nicknames like 'Shark' feel surreal.

('Your necklace looks like a shark tooth and you always look at the ocean,' Yuuma said the day they met. 'So you're Shark, right?'

Nasch can't say he dislikes it, even now.)

Nasch crosses his arms. "Nowhere."

Yuuma pouts.

Nasch sighs. "—To the cellars."

"Shingetsu mentioned those, too!" Yuuma looks uneasy. "But I'd rather avoid going there yet."

Nasch wants to ask why, but seeing Yuuma's unease, he nods instead. "I can go on my own, too—"

"Shark." Yuuma links their pinkies. "Let's go eat."

Nasch feels the heat rushing to his cheeks. "Alright."

"Do you have a fever?"

" _No._ "

~*~

Vector, of course, remains insufferable. He makes a point of making fun of Nasch at every minute. "You were totally gonna feed him, but then you chickened out."

Nasch crosses his arms. "Yeah, because I have morals when it comes to feeding people poisoned food."

"Come on, he would've just slept for two hours, you could've went to the cellars and you could've had a good date before that." Vector laughs it off. "I bet he likes me more."

"Proof?"

"We kissed."

"You're lying." Nasch stares at the palace's map again.

"Well, obviously." Vector shrugs. "If I didn't know better, I'd think he knows what we're up to."

~*~

The week passes uncomfortably fast, fast enough for both of them to almost lose track of time, because Yuuma seems to be genuinely interested in them and maybe Vector has never had a real friend like that before and maybe Nasch is— so Vector says— a giant _loser_ who falls for cute boys who call him cute nicknames.

(Of course, even if that was the case, they'd never admit it.)

~*~

Yuuma is many things. Persistent, kind, somewhat annoying, (kind of cute), childish— but he is not a liar.

Yet Yuuma is walking down the stairs to the palace cellars, clad in a black cloak that fails to hide the shape of his hair.

(But when has Yuuma ever been subtle?)

Vector knows a chance when it's in front of him, and he follows—

"Watch where you're going, bastard."

—just to bump into Nasch.

"What the _hell_ —" Vector is cut off by Nasch holding his mouth shut, and to his dismay, Nasch is physically stronger and has a valid point.

Vector bites him anyway, for good measure. "Talk about rude," he says, more quietly.

Yuuma doesn't seem to have heard, still walking a few dozen meters in front of them.

That, Vector notes, is suspicious, but also not unlikely for Yuuma. 

Nasch raises his eyebrow exasperatedly, ignores the bitemark and continues following Yuuma. He pulls up his hood, and Vector wonders if Nasch has the guts to get the keys to the cellar from Yuuma, even if might take force.

(He doubts it, and that makes him giggle.)

Yuuma hasn't turned around yet.

Moments pass, and Yuuma walks stairs after stairs after stairs, and something really is bad about this, and Vector is about to stop when—

"Hey, you two, is anyone else following us?" Yuuma grins.

What the.

Nasch has his hand at the sheath of his sword immediately, but Yuuma shakes his head. 

"Wait, Shark— I'm trying to help!"

Vector blinks. Then. "With what, Yuuma-kun?"

Yuuma detaches a ring with a bunch of keys from his belt and throws it in Nasch's general direction. "You were looking for this, right?" He smiles all innocently, but— 

"So you knew?" Vector raises an eyebrow and keeps walking, motioning for the other two to come, too.

"Kotori told me. I wouldn't have noticed..." Yuuma rubs his neck nervously. "She was like, _'Yuuma! That's the Barian prince, how did you not notice?_ ', and all. But I gotta say, Shark looks different in those pictures where he wears armor— It's really cool!"

There's a tint of red on Nasch's cheeks. Vector giggles. "You're pretty lame like that, Nasch. Don't ruin Yuuma-kun's good impression of you~"

"You bastard—"

Yuuma interrupts their bickering with his laughter. "But you two really could've just asked, y'know? No one told me we're keeping prisoners of war."

That explains. A lot.

Nasch and Vector both nod slowly.

"So you're not mad that we—" Nasch doesn't find the rest of the words for what they did.

Yuuma tilts his head. "Mad that you what?"

Vector, of course, loves to explain. "That we tried to hit on you to get information. Well, not Nasch. Nasch probably actually—"

Nasch kicks him. "Shut it. You're the one who spent more time trying to get in his pants than—"

"I don't keep the keys in my pants though?" Yuuma blinks.

Vector laughs, holding his stomach.

"Whatever." Nasch crosses his arms. "Let's keep going."

~*~

Don Thousand always has an air of majesty, without failure. Not that Vector or Nasch would care.

"Nasch," says Don Thousand, evenly. The monarchy's members aren't determined by blood, but by how much the gods like them. Rumour has it Don Thousand himself is a god. But all of that also means they have little personal feelings about each other.

(Or in Vector's and Nasch's case, utter resentment. Vector doesn't think anyone can blame him for that, given how Nasch always gets preferred by the elders for being more blessed by the gods and whatnot.)

"We came to free you." Nasch unceremoniously opens door, letting Don Thousand step out. 

"Those handcuffs." Don Thousand looks at Yuuma.

Yuuma laughs awkwardly. "I forgot which key it was, sorry."

Vector moves on to trying them one by one.

"Aren't you happy, Nasch?" Vector says as he opens the first cuff, "No more king duties for you."

Nasch shrugs evenly, looking at Yuuma ever so slightly. "I-"

"Vector, Nasch—" Yuuma makes a face like he's eaten something bad. "Okay, that sounded wrong. Shingetsu, Shark—"

Don Thousand makes a sound of amusement as Vector opens the second cuff.

Yuuma pouts for a bit, then he continues, looking and Nasch and Vector. "Wanna stay for a few more weeks? I told mom and dad to help get a ship for Don Thousand, and Eliphas likely won't find out for a while, either—"

Nasch looks away. "Tch, it's not like we're—"

Vector steps on Nasch's foot. "What he means is, we'd love to."

Yuuma's eyes brighten up. "Alright!"

~*~

"So. What I'm saying is. I won." Nasch sits on his bed, exasperated.

"You didn't seduce him." Vector smirks.

"I did catch him going to the cellars first."

"Doesn't count~"

"You bastard—"

The door opens, and Yuuma enters. "Seducing?"


End file.
